The importance of a facilities appearance

The visual identity of a business, inside and out, is an amazingly powerful tool in communicating its essence. It affects the perceived quality of the product or service that is being offered, it can make customers stay longer and spend more, and it can even be the difference between a person referring your business or talking poorly about it. Owners get very few shots at creating this "essence" and companies such as Nadeau Corporation can help plan and implement the design and building processes needed to deliver that positive first impression. As with any introduction - to people, products, or places, first impressions are critical. Once humans are set in their ways, it is very, very difficult to change their minds. Think about it. There really is no denying the connection between what your brain picks up in those first few seconds you walk into a building, and the perceived quality over the life of that particular relationship. From the design/build aspect of solving a business problem, it is essential to learn everything about a business (far beyond the basics) before making any suggestions. Who will be visiting the different parts of the facility? What sort of day to day operations take place here? What is the foot traffic and flow like? What is the average income of your most common customer? Their age? The way they operate once through your front doors? Is information voiced here meant to be kept private? These are the types of topics that need to be discussed with Nadeau's design/build team first and foremost in order to determine the most beneficial way to proceed. Facility image is a concept that includes a variety of factors, but the most important of all is a term called "atmospherics." This simply means the way you want your buildings atmosphere to feel or the mood you desire for your business. The Nadeau design/build team works very hard to produce the ideal emotional states that enhance everything from the probability of purchase in retail establishments, to creating safe, comfortable, and clean environments ideal for medical facilities. You can manipulate design of the building's exterior, the interior space, layout, carpet and wall textures, colors, shapes, and acoustics that will be experienced by the customers or patients. All these can be expertly managed by the team to influence mood. Mood induced by these surroundings can influence a consumer into spending more than planned, give birth to intention to revisit, or ideally, positively comment to others creating the most powerful advertising any business owner can hope to obtain. So what first impressions are given when occupants enter your building? Are they positive, or do they instantly give your company a hurdle to overcome. If it's the latter, you should talk to Nadeau's design/build team. Sean Lamontagne is director of business development and marketing at Nadeau Corporation, Attleboro, Mass.